Topic
Buddhist pilgrimage in Japan
The Bandō Sanjūsankasho (坂東三十三ヵ所) is a pilgrimage of thirty-three Buddhist temples throughout the Kantō region of Japan, similar to the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage and the Shikoku Pilgrimage. From its beginning at Kamakura's Sugimoto-dera to its end in Chiba's Nago-ji, the circuit is over 1300 km long. The principal image of each temple in the route is Kannon Bosatsu, the Bodhisattva associated with compassion. Kannon Bosatsu is the common Japanese name for Avalokiteśvara. She was first given the appellation "Goddess of Mercy" or "Mercy Goddess" by Jesuit missionaries in China. There is considerable variation among the styles of images of Kannon Bosatsu, and the attributes each style possesses. The Bandō Sanjūsankasho is just one of over 70 different Kannon pilgrimage circuits existing in Japan, each including 33 temples because the goddess is believed to have 33 different manifestations.
